Barry Finestone named first president and CEO of Jim Joseph Foundation

February 18, 2016 7:22am

(JTA) — Barry Finestone, a veteran executive in the Jewish philanthropy field, has been tapped as the president and CEO of the San Francisco-based Jim Joseph Foundation.

Finestone, currently the executive director of the Lisa and John Pritzker Family Fund, will take over as the foundation’s first president and CEO on Jan. 1. He will replace Chip Edelsberg, the foundation’s first executive director, who will continue to consult in the areas of philanthropy and Jewish education.

A native of Scotland, Finestone previously was executive director of the JCC of San Francisco, the second largest JCC in the country, and the Isaac M. Wise Temple in Cincinnati. He also was a residential camp director in the Young Judaea youth movement in the 1990s.

“I welcome the great responsibility to pursue the vision of Jim Joseph, z”l, to have more young Jews engaging in Jewish learning and living vibrant Jewish lives,” Finestone said in a statement.

The Jim Joseph Foundation was established in 2006 and has awarded more than $400 million in grants to improve the Jewish learning experiences for young American Jews.